I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

After the manor's carving skills and gold-plated silver jewelry business achieved great success, bringing rich profits and wide acclaim to the manor, Chen Jia and Chen Jue turned their attention to a new field - printing. They keenly realized that with the spread of culture and the popularization of knowledge, society's demand for printed materials such as books and notices is growing. As a technology that can quickly reproduce text and images, printing has great commercial potential. Therefore, Chen Jia and Chen Jue decided to conduct in-depth research on movable type printing, woodblock printing, movable type seal typesetting and other technologies, and committed to improving the efficiency and quality of various printing technologies, hoping to open up new economic growth points for the manor.

On this day, Chen Jia and Chen Jue were browsing ancient books in the manor's library. Chen Jia looked at a worn-out book in her hand and said to Chen Jue with emotion: "My husband, look at these books. Some are severely damaged due to their age, and some are rare due to the difficulty of copying. If we can master advanced printing technology, we can not only better preserve and spread knowledge, but also meet the market demand for books and other printed materials. This is a good thing that kills two birds with one stone."

Chen Jue nodded slightly, and said with a deep look in his eyes: "Madam, you are right. Printing has an important position in history, and the invention of movable type printing has greatly promoted the development of culture. Our manor has sufficient resources and manpower, and we can explore and innovate in this regard. However, printing involves many complex links, and we need to learn and study it step by step."

Chen Jia bit her lip lightly and said thoughtfully: "Husband, we can start by understanding the basic principles of movable type printing and woodblock printing. We can send people to visit some masters who are proficient in printing and learn from their experience and skills. At the same time, we must prepare the materials needed for printing, such as paper, ink, wood, etc. In the process of research, we must also focus on improving and enhancing technology to make the printed works more exquisite."

Chen Jue shook Chen Jia's hand in agreement and said, "Madam, let's do this. I will go and find a master who is proficient in printing. You will be responsible for arranging the purchase of materials and the preparation of related venues. We must act as soon as possible to allow printing to develop in the manor."

In the following days, Chen Jue asked around and finally found an experienced printing master. When the master came to the manor, Chen Jia and Chen Jue warmly greeted him and took him to visit the site prepared for printing research in the manor.

Chen Jia said to the master: "Master, we want to learn the techniques of movable type printing and woodblock printing. We hope you can pass on your experience and skills to our craftsmen so that they can master this skill."

The master smiled and nodded: "Mrs. Chen, Mr. Chen, don't worry. Movable type printing is to make individual movable type first, and then typeset and print according to the needs; woodblock printing is to carve words or images on the wood board and then print. These two technologies have their own characteristics, but both require mastering the key points of each link. For example, in movable type printing, the materials used to make the movable type, the carving of the fonts, and the accuracy of typesetting are all critical; in woodblock printing, attention should be paid to the depth of carving and the uniformity of ink application."

Chen Jue listened carefully, nodded and said, "Master, how long does it take for craftsmen to master these techniques?"

The master thought for a moment and said, "It depends on the learning ability and effort of the craftsmen. Generally speaking, after several months of systematic learning and practice, craftsmen can master the basic operating methods. But to reach the level of proficiency and mastery, continuous practice and improvement are required."

Under the guidance of the master, the craftsmen began the arduous learning process. They first learned how to make movable type and carve woodblocks. Chen Jia and Chen Jue also often visited the site to check on the progress and encouraged the craftsmen to learn seriously without fear of difficulties.

Chen Jia watched a craftsman carving movable type, walked up to him and said, "Brother, when carving movable type, you must pay attention to the thickness and structure of the strokes of the font to ensure the quality of each movable type. And you must choose the right wood to ensure the durability of the movable type."

Chen Jue was paying attention to the engraving of the woodblock, and said to another craftsman: "Brother, the engraving of the woodblock should be carried out according to the designed pattern and text, the lines should be smooth, and the depth should be moderate. After the engraving is completed, it should be carefully checked to avoid mistakes."

After a period of study and practice, the craftsmen gradually mastered the basic operations of movable type printing and woodblock printing. They began to try to print some simple texts and patterns. Although the effect was not very ideal, it was an important step forward.

Chen Jia looked at these preliminary printed works and said to Chen Jue, "My husband, look at these works. Although there are still many shortcomings, we can already see the prototype of printing technology. We can first invite some literati and booksellers to take a look, listen to their opinions, and then make improvements."

Chen Jue nodded and said, "Madam, let's do this. We can also start to promote our printing business to the market and understand the market's needs and feedback in advance."

They invited some literati and booksellers to the manor to show the printing works of the craftsmen. Everyone expressed their opinions and put forward many valuable suggestions.

A scholar said: "Mrs. Chen, Mr. Chen, the fonts of these printed works are not beautiful enough, and the layout is a bit messy. I hope you can work harder on font design and layout to make the printed books more readable."

A bookseller said: "I think your printing efficiency needs to be improved so that you can meet the market demand for the number of books. At the same time, you must ensure the stability of printing quality."

After getting everyone's opinions, Chen Jia and Chen Jue organized craftsmen to improve the printing technology. They studied different font designs, tried various typesetting methods, and adjusted and optimized the printing equipment.

Chen Jia said to the craftsmen: "Everyone should continue to innovate and try new methods and technologies. In font design, you can learn from the excellent fonts of ancient times, or you can combine modern aesthetics to innovate. In typesetting, you should pay attention to the overall beauty and coordination."

Encouraged by Chen Jia and Chen Jue, the craftsmen actively explored and practiced, designed some exquisite fonts, improved the typesetting method, and improved printing efficiency and quality.

Chen Jia looked at the new printed works and said to Chen Jue with satisfaction: "Husband, these works are much better than before. When we launch them to the market, they will definitely be popular."

Chen Jue nodded and said, "Madam, I believe our efforts will be rewarded. These works demonstrate the wisdom and creativity of our manor's craftsmen."

After they launched their new printed works to the market, they were well received. Booksellers came one after another to discuss cooperation, and the orders kept increasing.

A bookseller happily said to Chen Jia and Chen Jue: "Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen, the printed works of your manor are of high quality, with beautiful fonts and reasonable layout. We are willing to cooperate with you for a long time to jointly promote the printing and dissemination of books."

As the printing business continued to develop, the estate's income increased significantly and the craftsmen's confidence was greatly boosted.

A craftsman said excitedly to Chen Jia and Chen Jue: "Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen, thank you for providing us with such a good opportunity to learn and develop. We are very proud that our printing technology is now recognized by everyone. We will continue to work hard to produce more and more exquisite printed products."

Chen Jia smiled and said, "This is the result of everyone's joint efforts. We will continue to support you, constantly improve our technology, launch more and better products, and let our manor's printing technology occupy a place in the market."

Chen Jue also said: "That's right, we must continue to innovate and explore new printing technologies and application areas to allow the manor's printing business to continue to grow and develop. In the future, our printing technology will definitely become a shining business card for the manor."

Under the leadership of Chen Jia and Chen Jue, the printing technology of the manor continued to improve, and the movable type printing and woodblock printing businesses flourished. They not only brought rich economic returns to the manor, but also made positive contributions to the dissemination and development of culture.